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Triangle Professional Soccer Names Cary's United Soccer League Expansion Team

Published: 07/19/2006

For Immediate Release July 19, 2006

Contact: Brad Myers, 919-859-5425
Triangle Professional Soccer

Triangle Professional Soccer Names Cary's United Soccer League Expansion Team

Carolina RailHawks Officially Unveiled at USL1 Division All-Star Game

CARY, NC – July 19, 2006 – Amidst the fireworks at half-time during the nationally televised USL First Division All-Star Game at SAS Stadium, Triangle soccer fans got their first long-awaited glimpse of the new Cary USL Expansion Team's identity – The Carolina RailHawks.

The name was chosen from among 1,000 plus entries from dedicated area soccer fans by a panel of team officials and area media. Cary resident Jarrett Campbell , 33, was awarded two lifetime season tickets for winning the Triangle Professional Soccer's "Name the Team" contest that ran through June 9 th

"We identified the Carolina RailHawks right away as the name that incorporated all the elements we want this team to portray." said Chris Economides, Rochester Rhinos co-owner and USL Hall of Fame inductee , who formed Triangle Professional Soccer in October of 2005 and was awarded the USL franchise in January of 2006.

According to Triangle Professional Soccer spokesperson Brad Myers , they had two objectives in mind for choosing a name that would adequately reflect the attributes they wanted for the new expansion team. The first was to reflect on the unique heritage of the town of Cary, which has grown to rank among top U.S. cities across multiple categories. The second was to choose an animal whose characteristics are those inherent to the aggressive playing style of the new elite professional soccer team – masterful, strong and best of it's kind.

The name RailHawks combines the ideas of a railroad – the first mass transportation that helped expand America; and the Hawk – a cunning and masterful bird of prey. Further research reveals the story of Cary's heritage, which began in 1750 as a settlement named Bradford's Ordinary. By the mid-1800's, the Seaboard and North Carolina Railroads formed a junction in Cary used as a stop for coal and iron, which brought rapid growth to the area.

Often found flying high above North Carolina railroads is the Red Tail Hawk, the most common raptor in the region. The largest of it's breed, the Red Tail Hawk is a masterful predator, who is so fearless and cunning that its been known to steal the prey of other raptors when especially hungry, and occasionally kill a chicken several times its size.

The logo, blue and orange with a large hawk hovering over a railroad track, was also unveiled on a large banner during the event. The logo was developed by Sanford marketing firm Kelly MarCom, in conjunction with Triangle Professional Soccer executives.

Triangle Professional Soccer operates The Carolina RailHawks, an expansion of the USL First Division for the season starting April 2007. The squad will play 14 regular season games and four additional playoff and exhibition games each year, with all home games played at SAS Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.

SAS Soccer Park, opened in 2002, is a $14.5 million dollar facility that holds 7,000 fans and includes six adjacent soccer fields, locker rooms, concessions, and a nationally-recognized cross country course. The stadium previously was home to the Carolina Courage of the Women's United Soccer Association.